Adelphi shuts out Mercy to snag first NCAA tournament win since 2004

ALBANY, N.Y. – Adelphi defeated Mercy in the first round of the NCAA tournament Friday 5-0. With the win, the fourth seeded Brown and Gold extend their season and advance to take on the top-seeded hosts, the College of Saint Rose at noon Sunday.

The Panthers wasted no time getting on the board. It took just 67 seconds for Northeast-10 All-Rookie performer Victoria Antonino to find the back of the net on a feed from teammate Olivia Czavar to give the squad the 1-0 lead.

Still in the early stages, the booters struck again. In the eighth minute, it was Aimee Goldstein that gave the Panthers the 2-0 advantage after she beat Mercy keeper Nicole Augustine. Antonino registered her third point of the game as she set up the play and was credited with the assist.

In what was shaping up to be a one-sided contest, nearly 10 minutes later Czavar increased the buffer to three after firing a shot 20 yards out from the attacking right which found the back of the net. The goal marked her ninth goal of the season and her third point of the game.

Before the half was over, Adelphi tacked on a fourth and final goal with help from their counterparts. The Mavericks misplayed the ball in their defensive third and wound up being credited with an own goal to push the Panthers cushion to 4-0 at the break.

Despite all the action in the first things quieted down in the final 45 minutes of play. The Panthers' shot differential decreased by four compared to the first while Mercy managed four shots and put three of them on goal. In the closing seconds of the game, Kelsey Simpson put the icing on the cake with her second goal of the season and sealing Adelphi's first NCAA tournament win since 2004.

The lopsided affair had the Brown and Gold out-shooting the former ECC rivals 22-7 as well as holding a 6-2 corner advantage. Sam Whitney recorded her seventh shutout of the year after making three stops.